1st Sunday of Advent

by Fr. David Halm, C.S.C.  |  12/03/2023  |  Pastor's Letter

Since it has been a few weeks since I went down an “origin-of-the-word trail” I am happy to announce I am back on one, today the word Advent. Other than our liturgical season before Christmas I don’t think it is a very common word these days. Sometimes you’ll read about the advent of a new era or product - which of course means the arrival or coming.

That is because our English word comes from the two Latin words Ad (toward) Venire (come/coming). You may know the Pater Noster (Our Father in Latin) and recognize the prayer adveniat regnum tuum which in English translates to thy Kingdom come! So Advent is a “coming toward.” 

What I find particularly interesting about this is that we are praying for the Kingdom to come to us - not for us to go out toward the Kingdom. Note the direction of the action and Actor. In crying out Ad - Venire! we are begging our Lord to come to us and arrive where we are. For hard-working and task-oriented people like all of us we’d rather know where the goal is and figure out a way for us to get there. But Jesus said we must become like children to enter the Kingdom and most kids would much prefer to cry “Mom! Dad!” and have their parents come to (ad venire!) them. So, that’s what we are doing this Advent. We are preparing for Our Blessed Savior to come to us. No matter how hard we try and work and stress and pray we will never be able to get to Him on our own - so He comes to us!!! Let us prepare our hearts and families for His arrival. Remember, the family that prays together stays together!

Fr. David Halm, C.S.C.